Doctor-Patient Communication​—A Key to Success

IN THE early 1980’s, it was apparent that bold initiatives should be taken to establish better communication between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the medical community. So the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses authorized a program to develop a working relationship with doctors and hospitals.

Representatives from the Witnesses’ world headquarters in New York City visited many large hospitals in that city. This was much appreciated by hospital personnel, and it laid a basis for cooperation, rather than conflict. These representatives thereafter conducted seminars in large cities around the country. As a feature of these seminars, they took along local ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses for meetings at medical centers in the area, thus training these ministers to continue the program. When in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., they met with the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. This resulted in an invitation to write an article on how doctors can work with Jehovah’s Witnesses.a

In time, training and written directions were provided on an expanded basis so that Witnesses in other lands could begin similar programs.b For instance, after a seminar was conducted in Canada, Hospital Liaison Committees (there later called Medical Liaison Committees) were formed and trained. Each committee was composed of Christian elders willing and able to speak to doctors, social workers, and hospital personnel.

Appointments were made with some provincial ministers of health, directors of medical and hospital associations, and others influential in the health-care field. These meetings helped to make the medical community more sensitive to the concerns of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thus a solid foundation was laid for future dialogue.

A Ready Source of Help

It had long been appreciated that accurate information is a great help in defusing potential confrontations between sincere Christians and physicians who rely on blood therapy. In the early 1960’s at the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a list of cooperative medical doctors began to be compiled. These were physicians who had become familiar with medical alternatives to blood transfusion. Later, if a local doctor or hospital was uncomfortable with handling a case, a committee could obtain the names of other physicians. The patient might then be transferred to another medical team.

Another option was that the Hospital Liaison Committees might arrange a telephone consultation between the local surgeon and his experienced colleagues. At times this type of instant communication enabled doctors to modify their treatment, without undue risk to the patient. Hence, in serving as a liaison between the patient and the doctor, the committees have become experts at alleviating anxiety of both patient and doctor when blood might seem to be needed.

Proof That It Works

Sonya was a bright 13-year-old when, early in 1989, she learned that she had a cancerous tumor under one eye. A surgeon outlined to Sonya and her parents the seriousness of the needed operation. Since the tumor was growing rapidly, surgery ought not be put off. Chemotherapy would likely be needed next, and the doctor said that her parents would have to give permission for blood transfusions. But the family could not consent to that because of their religious convictions. The competent surgeon caring for Sonya was willing to remove the cancerous tumor, confident that she could do so without a blood transfusion. However, because of hospital policy, the surgeon could not get an anesthesiologist to assist.

Jonathan is the oldest son of Michael and Valerie. In late 1989, when he was 16, doctors informed them that Jonathan had a very large growth on his spleen. Doctors were somewhat apprehensive about operating without using blood, but they courageously did so, respecting the family’s religious stand. During the recovery period, serious complications developed. Jonathan’s blood pressure dropped dramatically, and his blood count fell. In a second operation, he lost a great deal of blood, his hemoglobin falling to 5.5, which is about a third of the normal level. The internist exclaimed: “Your son’s condition is plummeting. We are up against a wall. If he doesn’t receive blood, he may die!” What to do?

Liaison committees provided vital help in both of these cases in Canada. One assured Sonya’s family that if it became necessary, they could help to make arrangements for her to be moved to a medical center in another country. But could something be done so that the female surgeon already familiar with her case could proceed? Actually, this surgeon had become so attached to Sonya that she offered to be part of the surgical team wherever the operation was performed. A transfer was not necessary, though. Members of the committee were able to persuade local medical personnel to cooperate with the surgeon. According to that doctor, after the eight-and-a-half-hour operation, Sonya’s first words were an anxious inquiry as to whether blood had been forced on her. What a joy for Sonya to know that the answer was no!

In Jonathan’s case, when his blood count fell to 5.5 after two operations, the doctors were convinced that a blood transfusion was necessary to save his life, and they were ready to seek a court order to force blood on him. But Jonathan’s firm faith and personal resistance to the use of blood slowed things down. Jonathan reports: “I took Dr.​——​ by the collar and looked him in the eye and said, ‘No blood or blood products, PLEASE!’” The committee of trained brothers helped arrange for Jonathan to be airlifted to a larger medical facility. When he arrived, a committee member was at the hospital and had already spoken with the attending physicians. The next day Jonathan’s hemoglobin stabilized. His blood count steadily improved, and he was released 15 days after the initial operation.

Clearly, with an increasing number of medical personnel and social workers willing to work with the Hospital Liaison Committees of Jehovah’s Witnesses, continued good success can be expected.

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